Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about 24 km (15 mi) west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River which now runs 8 km (5.0 mi) to the north.

Key Points

Mohenjo-Daro is an archaeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan.

• The name Mohenjo-Daro is reputed to signify “the mound of the dead".
• The archaeological importance of the site was first recognized in 1922, one year after the discovery of Harappa.
• Subsequent excavations revealed that the mounds contain the remains of what was once the largest city of the Indus civilization.
• The city of Mohenjo-Daro is 2 miles from the Indus, from which it seems to have been protected.
• In antiquity by artificial barriers, was laid out with remarkable regularity into something like a dozen blocks, or “islands,” each about 1,260 feet (384 metres) from north to south and 750 feet (228 metres) from east to west, subdivided by straight or doglegged lanes. 
• Because of the city’s size in the circuit, and the comparative richness of its monuments and their contents, it has been generally regarded as a capital of an extensive state.

​
Hence, the correct answer is Mohenjodaro.

The correct answer is Magadha.

• The period between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE is considered extremely important in early Indian history as it witnessed the emergence of massive Indian cities, which were built after the fall of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Key Points

• These massive Indian cities were home to the 16 great kingdoms described in the ancient texts.
• In the modern era, the term ‘mahajanapadas’ is often used to refer to the 16 great kingdoms.
• In the sixth century BC, present-day Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh became centers of political activities as the region was not only fertile but also closer to the iron production centers.
• Iron production played a crucial role in expanding the territorial states of the region.
• These expansions helped some of these ‘janapadas’ turn into large states or ‘mahajanapadas.’ Most of these ‘mahajanapadas’ were monarchical in nature, while some of them were democratic states.
• Many prominent ancient Buddhist texts make frequent references to the ‘16 great kingdoms’ (mahajanapadas) that flourished between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE.
• These 16 kingdoms included kingdoms like Anga, Gandhara, Kuru, and Panchala, which are mentioned in the great Indian epic ‘Mahabharata.’
• All of them Magadh Janapada was the Most Important in ancient history.
• List of Mahajanapadas:-
• Magadha:-
  • Magadha was one of the most prosperous kingdoms of ancient India and one of the most prominent ‘mahajanapadas.’
  • For many years, Pataliputra was the capital of Magadha.
  • The kingdom was bounded by the Ganges in the north, river Champa in the east, and river Son in the west.
  • According to ancient texts, Brihadratha was the earliest known ruler of Magadha.
  • The kingdom was also ruled by King Bimbisara, under whom Magadha flourished.
  • Great Indian empires including the famous Maurya Dynasty originated in Magadha.
  • Gautama Buddha spent much of his life in Magadha, hence the region is believed to hold great significance to Buddhists.
• Gandhara:-
  • This great kingdom was served graciously by the river Indus and its capital Taksashila (Taxila) housed the renowned center of learning, the ‘Taksashila University.’
  • Scholars came to the university from all over the world in order to seek greater knowledge and wisdom. 
• Kamboja:-
  • It is said that ancient Kamboja was located on either side of the Hindukush mountain range.
  • But clans of Kamboja are believed to have crossed the mountain range to plant colonies in the southern side as well.
• Kuru:-
  • At the time of the Budhha, Kuru was ruled by Korayvya, a titular chieftain.
  • Its capital was Indraprastha (present-day Delhi), which was known for people with sound health and deep wisdom. 
• Kosala:-
  • The kingdom of Kosala was located close to the kingdom of Magadha.
  • With Ayodhya as its capital, Kosala was bound by the river Ganges in the south, river Gandak in the east, and the Himalaya mountains in the north.
• Malla:-
  • The Mallas of the Malla kingdom is often described as powerful people who dwelled in Northern South Asia. 
• Panchala:-
  • The Panchala kingdom was located east of the Kuru kingdom, between the river Ganges and the mountain ranges of the Himalayas.
  • Panchala was divided into two parts, namely Dakshina-Panchala and Uttara-Panchala. 
• Matsya:-
  • Located south of the Kuru kingdom and west of river Yamuna, the Matsya kingdom was founded by an Indo-Aryan tribe of the Vedic age. 
• Chedi:-
  • The kingdom of Chedi finds great prominence in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
  • According to the ancient text, Chedi was ruled by a king named Shishupala, who was an ally of the kings from Magadha and Kuru.
• Anga:-
  • The earliest references to the people of Anga are made in the ‘Atharva Veda,’ which describes the Angas as despised people.
  • The ‘Jaina Prajnapana’ claims that Angas was among the earliest groups of Aryan people. 
• Avanti:-
  • ​Avanti was a very important kingdom located in Western India and was considered to be one of the four important monarchies during the time Buddhism began in India.
• Vamsa / Vatsa:-
  • Considered to be an offshoot of the Kurus, the kingdom of Vatsa or Vamsa was roughly situated at the location of modern-day Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The capital city was known as Kaushambi, which was a prosperous city.
• Kasi:-
  • The Aryans who had settled around Varanasi were known as Kasis.
  • The city was flanked by the rivers Varuna and Asi from which the place derives its name.
  • Kasi was the most powerful kingdom of the sixteen Janapadas before the rise of Buddhism.
  • During the rise of Buddha, it was converted into Kosala.
  • This place is mentioned as Kausika / Kausaka in the Matsya Purana.
• Surasena:-
  • ​The location of the Surasena was around the west side of the river Yamuna and had its capital city at Mathura.
  • The king of Surasena, Avantiputra played a vital role in promoting Buddhism in his kingdom. 
• Vajji / Vrije:-
  • ​The Vajji or Vriji comprised eight to nine allied races and this kingdom became an important center of cultural and political activities.
  • It was essentially located in northern India.
  • Out of the nine races, the Licchhavis, the Vedehans, the Jnatrikas, and the Vajjis were the most important. 
• Assaka / Ashmaka:-
  •   Assaka, also known as Ashmaka was a kingdom that was located in the south of India.
  • During the time of Buddha, this tribe was located on the banks of the river Godavari.
  • The capital city of Assaka was known as Potana.
• Vamsa / Vatsa:-
•        Considered to be an offshoot of the Kurus, the kingdom of Vatsa or Vamsa was roughly situated at the location of modern-day Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.
• The capital city was known as Kaushambi, which was a prosperous city. 

The correct answer is Prabhavatigupta.

Key Points

• Chandragupta II's daughter, Prabhavati Gupta, was a powerful monarch in early Indian history.
• She married Rudrasena II of the Vakataka Dynasty and served as regent to her sons Divakarsena and Damodarsena after her husband died.
• After Ramgupta, Chandragupta II gained the throne and was given the title 'Vikramaditya.'
• His court was decked with Navaratnas, including Kalidasa, India's Shakespeare. He was the first Gupta ruler to use silver in his coinage.

Important Points

• Chandragupta II, commonly known as Vikramaditya, was one of the Gupta Empire's most powerful monarchs in India.
• Chandragupta II was the dynasty's second monarch to bear the name "Chandragupta," his grandfather Chandragupta I being the first.
• Rudrama Devi (or Maharani Rudramma Devi) was a Deccan Plateau queen who reigned from 1263 to 1289 (or 1295).

The correct answer is 1989.

Key Points

• The Sanchi Stupa was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1989.
• Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India.
• It was originally commissioned by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great.

What was the Sanchi Stupa used for?

• The stupa is a ceremonial burial mound used for the veneration of Buddhist saints and relics, as well as the Buddha himself.

Additional Information

• About UNESCO:
  • Headquarters - Paris, France.
  • Founded - 16 November 1945

The correct answer is Lion.

Key Points

• In the abacus of the Sarnath pillar, four animals are shown representing four directions:
  • A galloping horse (west)- Represents the horse Kanthaka, which Buddha is said to have used for going away from princely life.
  • A bull (east)- Depicts the zodiac sign of Taurus, the month in which Buddha was born.
  • An elephant (south)- Depicts the dream of Queen Maya- a white elephant entering her womb.
  • A lion (north)- shows the attainment of enlightenment.
• The animals seem to follow each other turning the wheel of existence till eternity.

.  

The correct answer is Agriculture.

Key Points

• 'Sitaadhyaksha' was the superintendent of agriculture.
• During the Mauryan administration, the king was assisted by 'Mantri Parishad', which includes
  • Yuvaraja
  • Purohita
  • Senapati
  • Other officials
• 'Yuktas' were the superintendent of the royal treasury.
• They were responsible for the empire's revenues.
• 'Sulkaadhyaksha' was the superintendent of customs.
• 'Akaradhyaksha' was the superintendent of mines.

Important Points

• Chandragupta Maurya
  • He founded the Mauryan dynasty by defeating Dhana Nanda with the help of Chanakya (Kautilya).
  • His empire included Bengal, Bihar, the Deccan region, Eastern Afghanistan and  Baluchistan.
  • Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by his son Bindusara.
  • Ashoka was the son of Bindusara.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Kalhana.

Key Points 

• Rajatarangini historical book written by historian Kalhana.
  • Rajatarangini was written in the Sanskrit language.
  • The meaning of the word Rajatarangini is the River of Kings.
  • The book Rajatarangini deals with the history of the north-western Indian subcontinent, the kings of Kashmir.
  • The Book contains 7826 verses, which are divided into eight books called Tarangas (waves).
  • Kalhana writes the Rajatarangini in the 12^th century(1100-1150).

Additional Information

• Surdas was a blind Hindu devotional poet who was best known for his lyrics written in praise of Lord Krishna.
  • Sur Sagar, Sur Saravali, and Sahitya Lahari are the literary works of Suedas.
• Shudraka was an Indian king who was best known for his work Mrichchhakatika.

The correct answer is ​Chennai.

Key Points

• Fort Saint George, a citadel built by the British East India Company in Madras (now Chennai), India.
• By the mid-17th-century, trade in the Coromandel Coast was already prospering with the British East India Company vying for monopoly over its French and Dutch counterparts.
• To protect English trade interests in the area, it was decided that an English Fort was needed in the region.
• And so, On 22 August 1639, English official Francis Day obtained a grant of a 3-mile-long strip of land for the East India Company from the local ruler, Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, the Nayaka of Wandiwash.
• This land was a fishing village called Madraspatnam.
• This grant, issued for 2 years, authorised the company to build a fort and a castle there.
• After securing the grant from the Nayaka, Francis Day and his superior in the company Andrew Cogan reached Madraspatnam on 20th February 1640 when the first actual settlement of the British started. In 1642, the grant was renewed.
• After 3 settlements the fort the British built in the settlement was called Fort St. George.
• The Fort was finally completed on April 23, 1644.
• As per the rules of the Nayaka, the Europeans in the area were not allowed to decorate their houses with any colour other than white. Hence, this area came to be called the ‘White Town’.

Additional Information 

The correct answer is Ashoka.

Key Points

• King Ashoka was the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning the Kalinga war.
• The Kalinga war was fought between the Maurya Empire and Kalinga, which is located on the east coast.
• King Ashoka gave up conquest after winning the Kalinga war because he realized the violence, he had done to become a world champion and from that very moment, he decided to walk on a path of non-violence.

Important Points

• Ashoka (273 BC-232 BC):
  • He was the greatest Mauryan ruler, Governor of Taxila and Ujjain.
  • His rule extended to the whole of the sub-continent except the extreme south.
    • It also included Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Kashmir, and the valleys of Nepal.
  • Ashoka had himself formally crowned in 269 BC.
  • Under Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire reached its climax.
  • Ashoka fought the Kalinga War in 261 BC in the 9th year of his coronation.
    • Later, he was moved by the massacre in this war and, therefore, abandoned the policy of physical occupation in favour of the policy of cultural conquest.
    • Bherighosa was replaced by Dhammaghosa.
  • He embraced Buddhism under Upagupta.
  • He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Ceylon (Sri Lanka as Buddhist missionaries with a sapling of the original peepal tree.
  • He inaugurated Dhamma Yatras from the 11th year of his reign by visiting Bodh Gaya and also appointed Dhamma Mahamatras (officer of righteousness to spread the message of Dhamma).

Additional Information

• Aurangzeb:
  • Aurangzeb ​was a ruler of Mughal dynasty.
  • He was the son of Shah Jahan.
  • He died in the year 1707.
  • He imposed Jizya, a military tax on non-Muslims who were not fighting for Mughal Empire.
  • He was succeeded by his son Bahadur Shah I.
  • Aurangzeb was also known as 'Zinda Pir' because of his simple lifestyle.
• Chandragupta I: (319-335CE)
  • ​​​He was a king of the Gupta dynasty, who ruled in northern India.
  • His title Maharajadhiraja suggests that he was the first emperor of the dynasty. ​
  • He strengthened his kingdom by the matrimonial alliance with the powerful family of Lichchhavis, who were the rulers of Mithila.
  • He got married to the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi.
  • He started the Gupta Era in 319AD-320 AD.
  • He established his authority over Magadha, Saketa and Prayaga.
• ​Tipu Sultan:​
  • Born in November 1750, Tipu Sultan was Haidar Ali’s son and a great warrior is also known as the Tiger of Mysore.
  • He was a well-educated man fluent in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese and Urdu.
  • Like his father Haider Ali, Tipu gave maximum care to the raising and maintenance of an efficient military force.
  • He organised his army on the European model with Persian words of command.
  • Tipu himself became a member of the Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called Citizen Tipu.
  • He planted the Tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.

The correct answer is Kushana.

Key Points

• Kushan dynasty (1st Century AD-3RD Century AD):
  • Kujula Kadphises was the first Yuezhi chief to lay the foundation of the Kushana dynasty in India.
  • The second king was Vema Kadphises who issued gold coins.
  • The most famous Kushan ruler was Kanishka (78 AD-101AD)
    • Kanishka was also known as ‘Second Ashoka’.
    • He started the Saka era in 78 AD.
    • The Kushans controlled the famous silk route.
    • The 4th Buddhist council was held in Kundalvana, Kashmir during his reign.
    • His descendants called him as Devaputra which means son of gods.
• Gupta dynasty was founded by Sri Gupta and held the titles of Maharaja, Maharajadhiraja, Kaviraja, Vikramaditya etc.
• Chandragupta Maurya (321 - 297 BC): 
  • He was the founder of the Maurya dynasty.
  • The Greek traveller Megasthenes visited the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
  • Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador.
  • He was migrated to Shravanabelagola along with Jain monk Bhadrabahu.
• Rudradaman I (Reign 130 AD – 150 AD) is considered the greatest of the Saka rulers.
  • He took up the title of "Mahakshatrapa" ("Great Satrap").

The correct answer is Ayodhya inscription.

Key Points

• Pushyamitra Shunga was the founder of the Shunga Empire in East India.
• He was a Senapati "General" of the Maurya Empire.
• Pushyamitra assassinated the last Mauryan Emperor, Brihadratha Maurya, during an army review, and made himself an emperor in 185 BCE.

Additional Information

• Pushyamitra performed various Ashvamedha campaigns to legitimize his right to rule.
• Inscriptions of him have been found as far as the Ayodhya.
• Dhanvdeva-Ayodhya Inscriptions
  • Reference of a local king Dhanadeva.
  • The inscription also records that Pushyamitra performed two Ashvamedhas

Important Points

• The Heliodorus pillar was built in Vidisha under the Shungas, at the instigation of Heliodorus, ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas. 

The correct answer is Basavanna.

Key Points

• Virashaiva Movement in Karnataka
  • The Virasaiva or Lingayata movement was developed by Basavanna a minister of the Chalukya king Bijjala Raya of Kalyana (1157-68 AD).
  • There is every reason to believe that it came into existence one or two centuries earlier through the activities of some Brahmana Saiva reformers.
  • Basavanna used his political power and position in furthering the cause of this movement which was as much a social reform as a religious one. In the tenets of this school, Visistadvaitavada played an important part.
  • Virasaivism means the Saivism of the stalwarts or heroic Saivism.
  • The name serves to distinguish the Virasaivas from the three other classes of Saivas viz the samanya Misra and the Suddha-Saivas.
  • The first two of these classes worship Siva alone.
  • The Linga they wear on their person distinguishes the Virasaivas from the Suddhasaivas.
    • Hence the name 'Lingayats' is also applied to them and the cult itself is called Lingayata.
  • The Virasaivas philosophy is called Saktivisistadvait a term which means the non-duality of God (viz, Parasiva) as qualified by power or Sakti.
  • There is no duality between the soul and the Lord God and soul are in an inseparable union through the inalienable power called Sakti.

Additional Information

• Appar
  • He is one of the four Tamil Samaya Acharyas.
  • He was a contemporary of Sambandhar.
• Sambandar
  • He is also referred to as Thirugnana Sambandar a Saiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th century CE.
• Sundarar
  • He is also referred to as Chuntarar, Chuntaramurtti, Nampi Aruran, or Tampiran Tolan, was an eighth-century poet-saint of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism. 

The correct answer is Bhagbhadra -Diamachus 

Key Points

Agnimitra-Kalidas

• Malavikagnimitra is a five-act drama written by Kalidasa in the 5th century CE.
• The story is a light tale set in a harem, and, unlike Kalidasa’s other works, it sustains a playful and comical mood throughout.
• It concerns the machinations of Shunga King Agnimitra to win Malavika, a female dance student with whom he is in love.
• It narrates the love story of King Agnimitra, the Shunga Emperor at Vidisha.
• Agnimitra was the son of Pushyamitra Shunga, the founder of the Sunga dynasty.
• As mentioned in the play, Agnimitra was the viceroy at Vidisha.
• It also refers to the conflict between Pushyamitra and Yajnasena, king of Vidarbha (the eastern Maharashtra area), and the victory of the Shungas. 

Bhagbhadra -Diamachus 

• Bhagabhadra was one of the kings of the Indian Shunga dynasty.
• He ruled in north, central, and eastern India around from 124 BCE to 83 BCE.
• Although the capital of the Shungas was at Pataliputra, he was also known to have held court at Vidisha.
• It is thought that the name Bhagabhadra also appears in the regnal lists of the Shungas in the Puranic records, under the name Bhadraka, the fifth ruler of the Shungas.
• He is best known from an inscription at the site of Vidisha in central India, the Heliodorus pillar, in which contacts with an embassy from the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas is recorded, and where he is named "Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Saviour, son of the princess from Benares.
• Deimachus of Plataea had come as ambassador to Bindusara or Amitraghata, the son and successor of Chandragupta Maurya. He was sent by Antiochus I (the son of Seleucus Nikator). Hence, statement (2) is incorrect.

Chandragupta II-Amarsimha

• Amarsimha was a poet from ancient India and his work ‘Amar Kosha’ was greatly celebrated. He was one of the nine jewels of Chandragupta II.
• Amarsimha was a Sanskrit lexicographer and a poet and his Amarkosha is a vocabulary of Sanskrit roots, homonyms, and synonyms. It is also called Trikanda as it has 3 parts viz. Kanda 1, Kanda 2 and Kanda 3. It has 10 thousand words in it.

The correct answer is Buddhism.

• Emperor Ashoka accepted Buddhism after the Kalinga War.

Key Points

• Ashoka (273 BC-232 BC):
  • He was the greatest Mauryan ruler, Governor of Taxila and Ujjain.
  • His rule extended to the whole of the sub-continent except the south.
    • It also included Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Kashmir and the valleys of Nepal.
  • Ashoka crowned himself formally in 269 BC.
  • Under Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire reached its zenith.
  • Ashoka fought the Kalinga War in 261 BC in the 9th year of his coronation.
    • Later, he was shocked by the massacre in the war and, therefore, abandoned the policy of physical occupation in favour of the policy of cultural conquest.
    • Bherighosa was replaced by Dhammaghosa.
  • He embraced Buddhism under Upagupta.
  • He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) as Buddhist missionaries with a sapling of the original peepal tree.
  • He inaugurated various Dhamma Yatras from the 11th year of his reign after visiting Bodh Gaya and also appointed Dhamma Mahamatras.

The correct answer is Polaj.

• For the purpose of making a comparative estimate of the produce of lands, Akbar divided them into four kinds and fixed different revenue to be paid by each.
  • Polaj was the type of land that was cultivated always and was never allowed to lie fallow.
  • Chachar was a kind of land allowed to lie fallow for three or four years and then resumed under cultivation.
  • Banjar was the type of land that was left out of cultivation for more than five years.
  • Paraity is the land that was kept out of cultivation for a short period in order to regain its lost fertility.

The correct answer is Vaishnavism.

Key Points

• He was followed Vaishnavism, a great and pious devotee of Vishnu.
• Karkota was founded by Durlabhavardhana during the lifetime of Harshavardhan. The Karkota dynasty marked the rise of Kashmir as a power in North India.
• Durlabhavardhana kingdom was located in present-day Kashmir. He brought the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area under his control.
• The famous Chinese pilgrim and scholar ​Xuanzang visited Kashmir during his reign.
• In 855 A.D, Avanti Varman ascended the throne of Kashmir establishing the Utpala dynasty and ending the rule of the Karkota dynasty.

​Additional Information

• Vaishnavism is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaktism, Shaivism, and Smartism. It is the largest Hindu majority with 67.6% of Hindus being Vaishnavas.
• In Vaishnavism, it considers Vishnu as the Supreme Lord, and It is also known as Vishnuism, its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas.

The correct answer is Menander.

• The most famous Indo-Greek ruler to rule over India noted for his justice and popularity with his subjects was Menander.
• Menander was an Indo-Greek king who was converted to Buddhism by the Nagasena.
• Menander was also known as Minadra or Milinda in various Pali texts.

Additional Information

• Rudradaman I was a Saka ruler from the Western Kshatrapas dynasty.
  • He was the grandson of the king Castana.
  • Rudradaman I was instrumental in the decline of the Satavahana Empire.
• Eukratides was a Greco-Bactrian king.
• Demetrius was also a Greco-Bactrian king he was also called Dharmamita.

The correct answer is Bhishma Parva. 

Key Points

• The Bhagavad Gita is extracted from Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata.
• There is a total of 18 Parvas in Mahabharat.
• It is a 700 verse Hindu scripture in the Sanskrit language.
• The Mahabharata was written by Ved Vyasa.
• It is the longest epic in the world.

Additional Information

• The Bhagwat Gita presents a synthesis of the concepts of Dharma, theistic bhakti, yogic ideals of moksha through jnana, bhakti, karma, and Raja yoga.
• It is based on Samkhya's philosophy.

The correct answer is Both (A) and (B) are true, but (B) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

The main source of income available to Mughal rulers was a tax on the produce of the peasantry.

• In most places, peasants paid taxes through the rural elites, that is, the headman or the local chieftain.
• The Mughals used one term - zamindars - to describe all intermediaries, whether they were local headmen of villages or powerful chieftains.
• The role of the zamindar in the Mughal administration was to collect the revenues and taxes from the peasants that were a source of income for the Mughals.
• They acted as an intermediate between the Mughals and the peasants and in some areas the zamindars exercised a great deal of power.

​
Thus, we can say that both the statements (A) and (B) are true, but (B) is not the correct explanation of (A).

The correct answer is Narasimhavarman II.

Important Points

• Shore temple at Mahabalipuram was constructed by Narasimhavarman II.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
• It is situated on the Coromandel Coast of present-day Tamil Nadu.
• It is considered the finest early temple of medieval southern Indian Temple architectures.
• It is built of cut stones rather than carved out of caves.
• It has two shines, one dedicated to Shiva and the other to Vishnu.
• It is built in Dravidian style.

Additional Information

• Narashimavarman II belonged to the Pallava Empire.
• Narasimhavarman I founded the city of Mahabalipuram.
• Krishna I constructed the famous Kailasa temple at Elora.
• Rajaraja Chola I constructed the Brihadiswara Temple at Tanjore.

The correct answer is to plunder the wealth of India.

Important Points

• Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a ruler of Afghanistan.
• He ruled from 997 to 1030 and extended control over parts of Central Asia, Iran, and the north-western part of the subcontinent.
• He raided India Seventeen times.
• The main reason that led to the conquest of India was to accumulate the vast amount of wealth that existed in India.
• His targets were wealthy temples, including that of Somnath, Gujarat.
• The places invaded by Mahmud of Ghazni include Kabul, Delhi, Kanauj, Mathura, Kangra, Thaneshwar, Kashmir, Gwalior, Malwa, and Bundelkhand.
• Much of the wealth Mahmud carried away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni.

• One of the most important descriptions of the city of Vijayanagara, the capital of Vijayanagara Empire, was given by Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi, a diplomat who came from Herat.
• Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi was a historian, Islamic scholar and Persian traveler who visited the city of Vijayanagara in the 15^th century and wrote about its wealth, architecture, and people.
• The city is located in present-day Karnataka. Hampi, which is a part of the Vijayanagara ruins has been designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

The Correct Answer is Panini.

Key Points

• Ashtadhyayi, Sanskrit Aṣṭādhyāyī("Eight Chapters"), a Sanskrit grammar treatise written by the Indian grammarian Panini in the 6th to 5th century BCE. The linguistic standards for Classical Sanskrit were set by this work. The science of phonetics and grammar that had developed in the Vedic religion was summed up in 4,000 sutras. His work was divided into eight chapters by Panini, each of which is further divided into four chapters.
• Ashtadhyayi distinguishes between use in the spoken language and use that is unique to the language of the sacred texts, beyond describing the morphology and syntax of the Sanskrit language. 

Important Points

• An ancient Sanskrit philologist, grammarian, and a respected scholar in ancient India were Pānini, variously dated between the 4th century BCE and the 6th to 5th century BCE.
• Pānini has been considered the "first descriptive linguist" and also labelled as "the father of linguistics" since the discovery and publication of his work by European scholars in the nineteenth century. 

Additional Information

• Bāṇabhaṭṭa was a Sanskrit prose writer and poet from India in the seventh century.
• Shudraka was the king and playwright of India. He is ascribed to three Sanskrit plays - Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart), Vinavasavadatta, and Padmaprabhritaka, a bhana (short one-act monologue).
• In ancient India, Patañjali was a sage who was thought to be the author of a number of Sanskrit works.

The seventh to ninth centuries saw the emergence of new religious movements, led by the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu)

• They came from all castes including those considered “untouchable” like the Pulaiyar and the Panars.
• They were sharply critical of the Buddhists and Jainas and preached ardent love of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation.
• They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the Sangam literature (the earliest example of Tamil literature, composed during the early centuries of the Common Era) and blended them with the values of bhakti.
• The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited and set them to music.
• There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to different caste backgrounds such as potters, “untouchable” workers, peasants, hunters, soldiers, Brahmanas, and chiefs.
• The best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar. There are two sets of compilations of their songs – Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.
• There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal, Tondaradippodi Alvar and Nammalvar. Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabandham.

The correct answer is that Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

•  By the 19th century, tribal people in different parts of India were involved in a variety of activities.
• Some of them practiced jhum cultivation, that is, shifting cultivation, some were hunters and gatherers, some herded animals and some took to settled cultivation.
• The lives of tribal groups changed during British rule.
• The British were uncomfortable with groups who moved about and did not have a fixed home. 
• They wanted tribal groups to settle down and become peasant cultivators, as settled peasants were easier to control and administer than people who were always on the move. 
• The British also wanted a regular revenue source for the state.
• So they introduced land settlements – that is, they measured the land, defined the rights of each individual to that land, and fixed the revenue demand for the state. Some peasants were declared landowners, others tenants.

Hence, from the above, it is clear that the Assertion is true and the Reason given is also true and the statement in reason is the correct explanation of the stated Assertion. 

• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan is known as Frontier Gandhi/sarhadi Gandhi.  
• He participated in India's freedom struggle.
• He is also known as Bacha Khan, Badshah Khan, Sarhadi Gandhi etc.
• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan established an organization called Khudai Khidmatgar in 1929.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the first Education Minister of independent India.
• Mahatma Gandhi was a famous freedom fighter, the politician of India, also known as Bapu.
• Mohammad Ali Jinnah was the first Governor-General of Pakistan.

The correct answer is All of the above.

Key Points

• Elements of the practice of sati that drew the attention of Bernier:
  • The practice of sati according to Bernier showed the difference in the treatment of women in western and eastern society.
  • He noticed how a child widow was forcefully burnt screaming on the funeral pyre while many of the older women were resigned to their fate.
• Elements drew his attention:
  • Under these cruel practices, and alive widow was forcibly made to sit on the pyre of her husband. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • People had no sympathy for her. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • The widow was an unwilling victim of the sati-practice. She was forced to be a Sati. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Additional Information

• Ibn Battuta and Bernier wrote their accounts of their travels in India:
  • Ibn Battuta was an early globe-trotter. He considered experience gained through travels to be a more important source of knowledge than books.
  • He meticulously recorded his observations about new cultures, peoples, beliefs, and values.
  • He enjoyed the cosmopolitan culture of urban centers where people who spoke Arabic, Persian, Turkish and other languages, shared ideas, information, and anecdotes.
  • He highlighted unfamiliar things in order to ensure that the listener or the reader was suitably impressed by accounts of distant yet accessible worlds.
  • For example, he described the coconut and the paan which were completely unfamiliar to his readers.
  • Thus, Ibn Battuta described everything that impressed and excited him because of its novelty.
  • Francois Bernier, on the other hand, belonged to a different intellectual tradition.
  • He tried to compare and contrast what he saw in India with the situation in Europe in general and France in particular, focusing on situations that he considered depressing.

The correct answer is Option 3.

Key Points

Jajmani system -

• Wiser was the first sociologist to use the word jajmani system for inter-caste and interfamilial system in Hindu Jajmani System 1936 based on a study in karimpur village of UP.
• Jajman or jijman is used for land-owning castes and Kamin for serving groups.
• The 'Jajmani System' can be defined as the non-market exchange of products, goods and services within the (north) Indian villages, without the use of money, based on the caste system and customary practices. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Yogendra Singh describes the Jajmani system as a system governed by relationships based on reciprocity in inter-caste relations in villages.
• This system was practised in many villages and regions during the pre-colonial period. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The jajmani system provided caste-based services supported by an agricultural economy.
• Cottage industries based on agricultural produce such as cotton, silk, jute and toys made from forest produce flourished in Indian villages.
• All these industries are of small scale that individual or joint families managed.
• The jajmani system or yajman system was an economic system most notably found in villages of India in which lower castes performed various functions for upper castes and received grain or other goods in return.
• Even labour followed the same system in which payments were made in kind rather than cash, till the colonial regime. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
• Indian villages have never been self-sufficient as contended by colonialist scholars; they were a part of a wider network exchange of economic, political, agricultural products, religious matters, and other goods circulated. Hence statement 4 is correct.
• The jajmani system provided caste-based services supported by an agricultural economy.
• Cottage industries based on agricultural products such as cotton, silk, jute and toys made from forest produce flourished in Indian villages.
• All these industries are of small scale that individual or joint families managed.

The correct answer is Congress and the Muslim League on the separate electorate.

.Important Points

• In 1916 at Lucknow, both the Congress and Muslim League signed a pact known as the Lucknow Pact and put forward common political demands before the Government including the demand for self-government for India after the war.
• The Pact accepted separate electorates and the system of weightage and reservation of seats for the minorities in the legislatures. So, option 2 is correct.

• Simla was founded during the course of the Gurkha War (1815-16). The Anglo-Maratha War of 1818 led to British interest in Mount Abu.
• Darjeeling was wrested from the rulers of Sikkim in 1835. Hill stations became strategic places for billeting troops, guarding frontiers and launching campaigns against enemy rulers.

The correct answer is Begum Hazrat Mahal.

Key Points

• Begum Hazrat Mahal rebelled against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from Lucknow.
• She was praised for her military and administrative ability. She personally led the famous Siege of Lucknow Residency.
• She fought the British tyrants of the East India Company and later, Queen Victoria herself.
• Begum Hazrat Mahal declared her son Birjis Khadir as the Nawab of Awadh on 7 July 1857.
• She gathered 1,80,000 troops and renovated the Lucknow fort by spending a huge amount of money.
• She issued a historic statement on 31 December 1858 challenging the proclamation issued by Queen Victoria on 1 November 1858.

Additional Information

• The Revolt of 1857 was a prolonged period of armed uprising as well as rebellions in Northern and Central India against the British.
• It began in Meerut by Indian troops (sepoys) in the service of the British East India Company.
• Later, the revolt spread to Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, and Lucknow.
• After a long siege, Lucknow was again recaptured by the British, forcing Hazrat Mahal to retreat in 1858.

The correct answer is Sir Pethick Lawrence.
Key Points

• The "Cabinet Mission" of 1946 came to India aiming to discuss the transfer of powers from the British government to the Indian leadership.
• The mission aimed at preserving India's unity and granting its independence.
• The mission proposed to divide into 3 administrative groups: A, B, and C clusters.
• The "Cabinet Mission" was formulated at the initiative of Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• The cabinet mission recommended an undivided India and turned down the Muslim league’s demand for a separate Pakistan.
• It recognized Indian Right to cede from the Commonwealth.
• The representation of the Provincial legislatures was to be broken up into 3 sections under Cabinet Mission, these were.
  • Section A: Madras, UP, Central provinces, Bombay, Bihar & Orissa
  • Section B: Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Baluchistan
  • Section C: Assam and Bengal. 

Additional Information

• Linlithgow 
  • Lord Linlithgow was Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1944
  • This eight years period was the longest reign as Viceroy of India.
  • During this period, parts of the Government of India Act 1935 came into force in 1937.
• Lord Wavell:-
  • He ​served as Commander in chief of India from July 1941 until June 1943.
  • Then he served as Viceroy of India until his retirement in February 1947.
• John Allsebrook Simon -
  • He was one of only 3 people to have served as Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
  • The others being James Callaghan and Rab Butler.
• Lord Hardinge
  • Served as Viceroy of India from 1910-16.
  • Important events during his tenure were
    • Delhi Durbar of 1911.
    • Annulment of Bengal Partition - 1911.
    • Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi - 1911.
    • First World War-1914

Option 4 is incorrect.

Key Points

• The role played by women of the imperial household in the Mughal Empire:
  • The term “haram” is used to describe the domestic world of the Mughals. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • This word is taken from the Persian word haram, which means a sacred place.
  • The Mughal household consisted of the emperor’s wives and concubines, his near and distant relatives (mother, step- and foster-mothers, sisters, daughters, daughters-in-law, aunts, children, etc.), and female servants and slaves.
  • Polygamy was practiced widely in the Indian subcontinent, especially among the ruling groups. Both for the Rajput clans as well as the Mughals marriage was a way of cementing political relationships and forging alliances.
  • The gift of territory was often accompanied by the gift of a daughter in marriage. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • This ensured a continuing hierarchical relationship between ruling groups.
  • It was through the link of marriage and the relationships that developed as a result that the Mughals were able to form a vast kinship network that linked them to important groups and helped to hold a vast empire together.
  • In the Mughal household, a distinction was maintained between wives who came from royal families (begams) and other wives (aghas) who were not of noble birth. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The begams, married after receiving huge amounts of cash and valuables as dowry (maahr), naturally received a higher status and greater attention from their husbands than did aghas. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.
  • The concubines (aghacha or the lesser agha) occupied the lowest position in the hierarchy of females intimately related to royalty.
  • The agha and the aghacha could rise to the position of a begam depending on the husband’s will, and provided that he did not already have four wives.
  • Love and motherhood played important roles in elevating such women to the status of legally wedded wives. Apart from wives, numerous male and female slaves populated the Mughal Household. The tasks they performed varied from the most mundane to those requiring skill, tact and intelligence.
  • Slave eunuchs (Khwaja Sara) moved between the external and internal life of the household as guards, servants, and also as agents for women dabbling in commerce.

The correct answer is Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya.
Key Points

• Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya
  • Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya was one of the most famous Sufi saints from the Indian subcontinent region.
  • Also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi (Beloved of God), he was a Sunni Muslim scholar and Sufi saint of the Chishti Order.
  • Like most of the Chishti Sufi saints, Nizamuddin Auliya stressed love as a means of realizing God.
  • He believed the love of God implied a love of humanity.
  • He had a major influence on the Muslims of Delhi and the world over.
  • Nizamuddin Auliya was born in 1238 AD in Baduan, Uttar Pradesh to Syed Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Hussaini Badayuni and Bibi Zulekha.
  • His father died when Nizamuddin was just five years old.
  • At the age of 21, Nizamuddin went to Ajodhan (present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) to become a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganjshakar, also known as Baba Farid.
  • Every year during the month of Ramzan he would visit Ajodhan in presence of Baba Farid.

Additional Information

• Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
  • Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti also popularly known as Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz was a beloved Sufi saint of the Chisti order.
  • He is known to be the direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
  • Born in Sistan (present-day Eastern Iran and Southern Afghanistan, he traveled from Sistan to Lahore to Delhi, and finally settled in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
  • His tomb in Ajmer, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, is one of the holiest Islamic sites in the world.
  • Muslims from across the world visit Dargah Sharif every year to offer their prayers.
  • Not only Muslims but people belonging to different religions visit this shrine throughout the year.
• Baba Farid
  • Baba Sheikh Farid as he is called all over Punjab, India, and Pakistan was born at the time when Punjab was going through great crossroads.
  • Timur the Lame, Halaku (Son of Changez Khan), etc ravaged Punjab about 100 to 200 years before he was born.
  • The official language of India was Turkish and Persian.
  • The Slave dynasty of Qutub-Ud-Din aibak was at that time being ruled by Sultan Balban. 200-300 years earlier to the West of India, the sword of Islam had swept in the countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe.
  • In India too, Slave Qutubdin Aibak tried to subdue people through force, but could only create a rift between different communities.
  • Then came the Sufi saints from Arabia and other places to spread their message of love for Allah.
  • Sufi saints like Khwaja Qutub-Ul-Din Bakhtiar Kaki, who was a Sayid of the Jafiri Hussaini tribe, were very famous.
• Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
  • Hazrat Khawaja Bakhtiyar Kaaki‎ was one and a half years old when his father passed away.
  • Khawaja Qutubuddeen Bakhtiyar Kaaki‎ learned 15 chapters of the Holy Quran from his mother and his mother arranged for his further education and training.
  • Once he wanted to be a part of Mehfil e Samaa however was not allowed in as he seemed to be young in age and didn’t have a beard.
  • Hazrat Khawaja Qutubuddeen Bakhtiyar Kaaki‎ was very fond of Mehfil e Samaa so he rubbed his face and a beard appeared and he was let in.
  • When Khawaja Qutubuddeen Bakhtiyar Kaaki‎ was 4 years and 4 months of age he requested his mother that he wanted to study the Holy Quran under a learned person.

The correct answer is option 1, i.e there was an extreme form of poverty prevailing among the ordinary people – peasants, artisans, and laborers.

• A striking feature of the economic and social situations during the time was the glaring disparity between the highly ostentatious life-style of the ruling classes, on the one hand, and acute poverty of the people— the peasants, the artisans, and the laborers, on the other.
• Ghee and oil were much cheaper relative to foodgrains then and seem to have been a staple part of the poor man’s food. But salt and sugar were more expensive.
• There was a great deal of inequality in the villages.
• The peasant who did not have his own plough and bollocks often tilled, the land of the zamindars or the upper castes.
• Thus, the village society was highly unequal. Hence, Option 2 is NOT correct.
• The peasants who owned the land they tilled were called khudkasht, claimed to be the original settlers of the village and often belonged to a single dominant caste.
• Theoretically, the doors of the Mughal nobility were open to everyone. However, in practice, persons belonging to aristocratic families, whatever they were, Indians or foreigners had a decided advantage. Hence, Option 3 is NOT correct.
• According to Frenchman Francois Bernier, there was no middle class in India at that time. A person was either extremely rich or lived miserably. Hence, Option 4 is NOT correct.

The correct answer is 11.

Key Points

• The Gandhi-Irwin Pact
  • It was linked to India's civil disobedience campaign.
  • Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin signed the pact.
  • On March 5, 1931, the pact was signed.
  • Before the second round table conference in London, this was arranged.
  • As per Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Gandhiji discontinued the Civil Disobedience movement and agreed to attend the second round table conference.
  • The Lahore Congress of 1929 had given the mandate to launch the civil disobedience movement along with the non-payment of taxes.
  • Mahatma Gandhi presented his 11 demands to the Viceroy Lord Irwin and gave him the ultimate of January 31, 1932, to accept these demands. Hence, Option 4 is correct.

Important Points

• Mahatma Gandhi 11 point demands were:
  • Abolition of salt tax and Monopoly of the government to manufacture salt.
  • To reduce the expenses on the civil administration and army by 30%.
  • To reform the criminal investigation department CID.
  • Total prohibition of intoxicants and alcohol.
  • Amendments in the arms act to allow licenses of arms to citizens for self-protection.
  • To release all the Political Prisoners.
  • Exception of Postal reservation bill.
  • To change the Rupee Sterling exchange ratio to 1s 4d.
  • To impose a customs duty on the import of foreign clothes.
  • The reservation of coastal shipping for Indians.
  • Reduction of land revenue by 50 percent.

Additional Information

• Proposed conditions of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact are:
  • The Indian National Congress took part in the Second Round Table Conference.
  • Salt is no longer taxed.
  • Withdrawal of all ordinances issued by the Indian government restricting the operations of the Indian National Congress.
  • Discontinuation of Salt March.

The correct answer is By the Alwars saints of Southern India.

Key Points

• The Bhakti movement probably began in the Tamil region around the 6th and 7th century AD and achieved a great deal of popularity through the poems of the Alvars and Nayanars, the Vaishnavite and Shaivite poets.
• Bhakti movement was a revolution started by the Hindu saints to bring religious reforms by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation.
• This movement resulted in various rites by practicing rituals of devotion among the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in the Indian subcontinent.
• Their method of expression was to sing devotional compositions in the temples, Gurudwaras, and Masjids.
• Scriptures of the Bhakti movement include the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana and Padma Purana.

​Additional Information

Causes of the rise of the Bhakti movement

• Influence of Vaishnavism
• Evil practices of the Hindus
• Fear of spread of Islam
• Influence of Sufi sects
• The emergence of great reformers

Leaders of the Bhakti movement

• The leader of the bhakti movement focuses on Ramananda.
  • He is believed to have lived in the first half of the 15th century.
• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
  • He was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer from the 16th century.
• Guru Nanak
  • He is the first Sikh Guru and the founder of Sikhism, and also a Nirguna Bhakti Saint and social reformer.
  • He opposed discrimination based on caste, religious rivalries, and rituals.
• Kabir Das
  • He was one of the followers of the Bhakti movement in the 12th and 13th centuries.
  • He insisted on the devotional singing of praises of lord through their own compositions.

The correct answer is to raise funds for town development.

Key Points

• The work of town planning was carried on by the Lottery Committee (1817) with the help of the government.
• The Lottery Committee was so named because funds for town improvement were raised through public lotteries.
• Hence option 1 is correct.
• In other words, in the early decades of the nineteenth century raising funds for the city was still thought to be the responsibility of public-minded citizens and not exclusively that of the government.
• The Lottery Committee commissioned a new map of the city so as to get a comprehensive picture of Calcutta.
• Among the Committee’s major activities was road building in the Indian part of the city and clearing the riverbank of “encroachments”.
• In its drive to make the Indian areas of Calcutta cleaner, the committee removed many huts and displaced the labouring poor, who were now pushed to the outskirts of Calcutta.

The correct answer is 16 August 1946.

Key Points

• 16 August 1946 was declared as the Direct Action Day by Jinnah to press the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan.
• The Labour government that came into power in 1945 committed itself to grant independence to India.
• Viceroy Lord Wavell brought the Congress and the League together for a series of talks.
• In the 1946 elections to the provincial legislatures, the Congress swept the "General" category, but in the seats specifically reserved for Muslims, the League won an overwhelming majority.
• The political polarization was complete.
• A Cabinet Mission sent in the summer of 1946 failed to get the Congress and the League to agree on a federal system that would keep India together while allowing the provinces a degree of autonomy. 
• As the talks did not work out, Jinnah called for a "Direct Action Day" to press the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan.
• On the designated day, 16 August 1946, severe riots broke out in Calcutta, and then to many other provinces like Bihar, United Provinces and the Punjab.
• In Feb 1947, Wavell was replaced as Viceroy by Lord Mountbatten. He arranged the last round of talks, but when no conclusion derived from them, he announced that India would be freed, but also divided.

Option 4 is incorrect.

Key Points

• Evidence for slavery provided by Ibn Battuta:
  • Ibn Battuta has given a detailed description of the practice of slavery prevalent in India.
  • Delhi Sultan-Muhammad bin Tughlaq had a large number of slaves. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • Most of these slaves were forcibly captured during the aggressions. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • Many people sold their children as a slave, because of acute poverty. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • Slaves were also offered as a gift during this time.
  • Ibn Battuta when visited, also brought many horses, camels, and slaves for the Sultan to present him.
  • Sultan Muhammad bin Tuglaq, himself had presented two hundred slaves to Nasiruddin a religious preacher.

Important Points

• Other facts about slaves:
  • Nobels are used to keep slaves those days. Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.
  • Through these slaves, the Sultan used to get information about the activities of the noble and all other important events of the empire.
  • The woman slaves served as servants in the house of the rich (nobles).
  • These women informed the Sultan about the activities of their masters (i.e., nobles).
  • Most of the slaves used to do domestic works and there was a lot of difference between the status of these slaves and the court slaves.

The correct answer is Seven provinces.

Key Points

• At its 1936 session held in the city of Lucknow, the Congress party, despite opposition from the newly elected Nehru as the party president, agreed to contest the provincial elections to be held in 1937.
• The released Congress leaders anticipated the restoration of elections.
• They now had a stronger standing with their reputation enhanced by the civil disobedience movement under Gandhi's leadership.
• Through the elections, Congress sought to convert its popular movement into a political organization.
• The Congress won 758 out of around 1500 seats in a resounding victory and went on to form seven provincial governments.

Additional Information

• The Congress formed governments in the united provinces, Bihar, the Central Provinces, Bombay, and Madras.
• The party's election platform had downplayed communalism and Nehru continued this attitude with the initiation of the March 1937 Muslim mass contact program.
• But the elections demonstrated that of the 482 Muslim seats the Congress had contested just 58 of them and won only 26 of those.
• In spite of this poor showing, the Congress persisted in its claim that the party was representative of all communities.
• The Congress ministries did not succeed in attracting their Muslim countrymen. This was largely unintentional.

Cantonment Towns

• The nature of the colonial city changed further in the mid-nineteenth century. After the Revolt of 1857 British attitudes in India were shaped by a constant fear of rebellion. They felt that towns needed to be better defended, and white people had to live in more secure and segregated enclaves, away from the threat of the “natives ”.
• Pasturelands and agricultural fields around the older towns were cleared, and new urban spaces called “Civil Lines” were set up. White people began to live in the Civil Lines.
• Cantonments– places where Indian troops under European command were stationed – were also developed as safe enclaves. These areas were separate from but attached to the Indian towns. With broad streets, bungalows set amidst large gardens, barracks, parade ground and church, they were meant as a safe haven for Europeans as well as a model of ordered urban life in contrast to the densely built up Indian towns.

Railway Colonies

• The introduction of railways in 1853 meant a change in the fortunes of towns. Economic activity gradually shifted away from traditional towns which were located along old routes and rivers. Every railway station became a collection depot for raw materials and a distribution point for imported goods.
• With the expansion of the railway network, railway workshops and railway colonies were established. Railway towns like Jamalpur, Waltair and Bareilly developed.

Hill Stations

• As in the case of cantonments, hill stations were a distinctive feature of colonial urban development. The founding and settling of hill stations was initially connected with the needs of the British army.
• Simla (present-day Shimla) was founded during the course of the Gurkha War (1815-16); the Anglo-Maratha War of 1818 led to British interest in Mount Abu; and Darjeeling was wrested from the rulers of Sikkim in 1835.
• Hill stations became strategic places for billeting troops, guarding frontiers and launching campaigns against enemy rulers.

The correct answer is ​Abul Fazl.

Key Points

• Abul Fazl 
  • He was the author of Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar’s reign in 3 volumes. Hence, Option 4 is correct.
  • The third volume of the above work is known as Ain-i-Akbari, which is the administrative report of Akbar’s reign.
  • Another important work of Abul Fazl was Ruqaat, which is a collection of letters to the princes of Akbar and other contemporaries.

Additional Information

The correct answer is the Failure of Crips Proposal to satisfy the demands.

Key Points

• Quit India Movement
  • After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major movement (after the Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movements) against British rule.
  • This was the “Quit India” campaign, which began in August 1942.
  • Although Gandhiji was jailed at once, younger activists organised strikes and acts of sabotage all over the country.
  • Particularly active in the underground resistance were socialist members of the Congress, such as Jayaprakash Narayan. In several districts, such as Satara in the west and Medinipur in the east, “independent” governments were proclaimed.
  • The British responded with much force, yet it took more than a year to suppress the rebellion.
  • “Quit India” was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its ambit hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians.
  • It especially energised the young who, in very large numbers, left their colleges to go to jail.

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

• The Zabt System or Dahsala System was introduced by Raja Todarmal.
• He was Akbar's competent finance minister.
• Under the reign of Akbar, he performed his duty in Agra and later served as the governor of Gujarat.
• This system introduces in the year 1580-82 to put a check on the problems that were arising due to fixing prices each year and revenue settlement of the last year.
• Under the Dahsala or Zabti System, there was no ten years settlement on the crops.
• It was based on the average prices and produces during the last ten years.
• This system was basically in practice during Shershah Suri but was honed perfectly during Akbar’s reign.
• The system of Zabt did not apply to the provinces of Gujarat and West Bengal because in those areas the rulers of the Mughal empire were not able to keep the data and track of the records of the revenue system.

The correct answer is Sir William Jones.

Key Points

• The Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded by William Jones on 15 January 1784 at Fort William in Kolkata.

Additional Information

• Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the founder of the 'Brahmo Sabha' in 1828 AD.
  • In 1815 AD Raja Ram Mohan Roy established the "Atmiya Sabha". 
• C.F. Andrews was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s closest friends and he was known as "Deenabandhu".

The correct answer is Cotton textile.

Key Points

• For the period under consideration of cotton industry development in India in the 19th century, we shall distinguish five stages of Indian textile production and trade:
  • The years prior to 1830, involving a steady decline in the volume of Indian handmade exports from a high in 1790.
  • 1830-1850, when exports stagnated while the growth of imports from Britain was arguably not greater than the growth of domestic demand due to population growth.
  • 1850-1880, which saw accelerating textile imports, as well as the successful foundation of the domestic manufacturing industry.
  • 1880-1913, at the end of which imports peaked.
  • The post-1913 period, when domestic manufacturing dominated both imports and hand weaving. Textile mills were attempted in India as early as 1818.

\Additional Information

• Proof of developed cotton industry in 19th century 
  • There is a clear turning point in 1830 when the subcontinent becomes a net importer of cloth.
  • The mid-century acceleration of imports was halted by the “cotton famine” of the early 1860% but growth resumed thereafter.
  • In 1880 India became a net exporter of (machine-spun) yarn. Cloth imports fell after 1913, and never regained their prewar level. At the end of the period, yarn exports were being replaced by cloth exports.

British got the Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1765.

• The major aim of the British East India Company was to increase their land revenue collection.
• The British policies aimed at getting maximum income from the land without caring about its consequences on cultivators and peasants.

Key Points

The Permanent Settlement was introduced in 1793 by Governor-General Lord Cornwallis.

• Rajas and taluqdars were recognized as Zamindars to collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the company.
• The amount paid by the zamindars to the company was fixed permanently.
• The Company believed that as the revenue amount was fixed, the zamindars would benefit by investing in land improvement, which would, in turn, lead to increased production.
• Zamindars lost their right over the lands whenever they fail to make payments to the company

​Hence, the correct answer is Permanent Settlement.

Additional Information

Ryotwari Settlement:

• This System was introduced by Thomas Munro in 1820.
• This was the primary land revenue system in South India.
• Major areas of introduction include Madras, Bombay, parts of Assam and Coorg provinces of British India.
• In Ryotwari System the ownership rights were handed over to the peasants. British Government collected taxes directly from the peasants.

Mahalwari Settlement:

• This system was introduced in 1822 by Holt Mackenzie. Later, the system was reformed during the period of William Bentick (1833).
• This was the primary land revenue system in North-West India.
• It was introduced in Central Province, North-West Frontier, Agra, Punjab, Gangetic Valley, etc of British India.
• In this system, the land was divided into Mahals. Each Mahal comprises one or more villages.

The correct answer is Lahore.

Key Points

• Indian National Congress(INC) annual session held in Lahore in December 1929 under the presidentship of Jawaharlal Nehru.
• INC passed a resolution declaring 'Poorna Swaraj' (Complete Independence) to be the goal of the national movement because of the following reasons
• Nehru committee report deadline had lapsed
• Dominion status was not be accepted by Nationalists
• On the midnight of  Dec 31, 1929, the newly adopted tricolor flag was unfurled on the banks of the Ravi river.
• Congress Working Committee decided that January 26, 1930, should be declared as Poorna Swarajya day and the Poorna Swarajya pledge was drafted by Mahatama Gandhi.

​Additional Information 

• The Indian National Congress was founded at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay in 1885 by a retired civil servant by A.O Hume.
•  A.O Hume assumed the office of the secretary-general and W C Banerjee as its first president.